I am all by myself in a corner room of a seventh floor apartment in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. Inside, I see two walls painted a subdued orange, the other two are white. The paint is peeling in a few places in a very artsy way. On the orange wall, a bookshelf that looks very 70s and very Euro, holds a bunch of encyclopedias, two books on Hindu and Parsi names, a copy of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, old issues of National Geographic and the book Dateline Kargil. Alongside the books are rows of trophies from the film world. Below the bookshelf is a low table and under it are several spirally bound books. These are scripts. Then there are autographed photographs of Hollywood actors, a CD rack, a bottle of wine, a motorcycle helmet and an old school blazer. This is director Farhan Akhtar’s room but I am not here to meet him.
(This story appears in the 03 July, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
the story tells us how movie making business works. there is dearth of genuine entrepreneurs who dare to dream and pursue with passion. Confidence and conviction go hand in hand, confidence come with instinct, believing what you do and encouraging results. Ritesh and farhan both did their work with confidence and convictions. Nice meeting this gentleman
on Jul 28, 2009Another gem of an article Subroto. Ritesh and Farhan are youth icons but they hold the traditional rules of business close to their heart. From adopting a business model that is not the norm in B town to upholding relationships they have blended business rules to create a magical balance of reality and powerful movie making.
on Jun 25, 2009Definitely luck and NOT by chance! The passion, commitment and a long term orientation ooze from every word of the replies by Ritesh. Creative partnership with Farhan is also vividly exhibited here. Lets just hope that they stay this way.. and we dont have to say "maa da ladlaa bigad gaya.." some years down (or should that be UP?) the line...
on Jun 20, 2009Dear Gardener, Thank you for a great article. It is really heartening to know that in our materialistic dog-eat-dog world, there are people who still value relationships! Ritesh has hit the nail on the head when he says :"Be a good listener when people are telling you things. If you listen well, you build great relationships.†Kudos to Ritesh and Farhan and may their friendship and creativity bring them many, many more laurels. Thanks and regards, Geetha
on Jun 20, 2009